“Nothing works in Haiti, but everything works out.”
This wasn’t my first trip to Haiti. But in a way it was a
brand new experience.
Let me start with the lesson we learn with every trip there:
You can’t control the circumstances, but you can control your attitude. After
spending an extra hour at Bishop Airport making sure all of checked bags made
it all the way to Haiti, well… let’s just say we could have spent that extra
hour doing almost anything else and been happier.
When we arrived to the Port-au-Prince airport -- now air
conditioned! -- we were missing nine bags and one person. Oops. All were stuck
in Florida. But what can you do but move forward, right? And all were safely
returned to us the next morning.
See, everything works out. And it was all worth it in the
end.
We spent three hours in a van driving around curves, over
mountains and past more beauty than I’ve seen in Haiti before. We had the
opportunity to spend a few days in Borel, Haiti, which is a rural area filled
with lush mountain sides, farm land, dirt roads, trees, coastlines and
unfortunately many mosquitoes.
There we partnered with Water Project For Haiti (Check them out on Facebook). They took us in with open arms, taught us more about the
beautiful country and paved the road for us to install more than 50 water
filters in two days!
I want you to take a moment and think about the water you
use on a daily basis. Brushing your teeth (was not safe for us to do out of the
faucet in some places), showering (had to keep our mouths shut), drinking (no).
One filter the size of a trash can. 100 pounds of sand. Two
bags of rocks. $80. Separate those things don’t seem like anything. But put
together they create a better life for a Haitian family. It brings better
health and hope.
Even our team could forget that at times. We did our job. We
installed the filter. We prayed for the family. We went on to the next home.
One home was a little bit of a hike over some hills, across a stream and
through what seemed like a field of corn. The view was amazing. But what stood
out more was when we went to leave, the man of the household came to each one
of us and made sure to clasp one our hands with both of his.
To him, this was more than a filter. It wasn’t worth $80. It
was priceless.
I love Haiti. It’s because even when it seems like they have
little, they still have appreciation and hope.
“Nothing works in Haiti, but everything works out.”
So even when it seems like we are doing simple acts, we
could be making a huge impact. A lesson I don’t think should stay in Haiti.
Let’s not forget about the children, the adorable, heart
capturing children. We spent time at three orphanages and a children’s
hospital. Spending time with the kids, playing with them and communicating even
when we couldn’t speak the same language.
One little girl, Fetna, didn’t speak at all really. But she
stole my heart and I spent hours with her just hanging out and taking selfies
on my phone. Yes, every child loves a good selfie.
We asked ourselves one night, what difference we were
making. We aren’t really there long enough to form a solid relationship. We,
like other groups, are coming and going just as easily. But we reminded
ourselves that we become a few more drops in the overall picture.
We chose to
show them love when others didn’t. We chose to take the time that we had and
have a little fun with them, play Legos with them, kick around the soccer games
and yes, take more selfies. You would really be amazed how long they could take
control of your phone J
How you spend your time makes a difference. Whether in Haiti
or in Flint or wherever you are.
I could go on and on. But one of the things that made this
trip different that last year was simply the number of different sides of Haiti
we had the pleasure to see from a giant waterfall we got to climb to a private
beach we had all to ourselves to a memorial for those who died in the
earthquake to a traditional Haitian market to a church service spoken almost
entirely in Creole.
Even among an area most people see as damaged and in
despair, there is beauty.
